Moblin 2 arriving via Dell with Ubuntu-Moblin remix netbook

Dell has launched its first Moblin-based product, the Mini 10v netbook. It …

Intel's Linux-based Moblin 2 platform is finally moving out of the lab and into the market. Dell launched its first Moblin-based product on Thursday, making the software platform available to consumers on its Mini 10v netbook. Although Moblin has a lot to offer, Dell warns that Moblin isn't ready for primetime yet and informs prospective buyers that the software is still experimental.

Moblin was originally launched in 2007 to provide a Linux-based software platform optimized for Atom-based MIDs. The project has evolved considerably and was reborn as a netbook operating system with version 2.0 when the MID form factor failed to gain traction. It has attracted significant attention in its new role and has won the backing of virtually every major Linux distributor. In order to open up the platform to the broader mobile vendor ecosystem, Intel turned over stewardship of the project to the Linux Foundation earlier this year.

We've been keeping a close eye on Moblin and have tested several prereleases. In addition to top-notch compatibility with Intel's hardware, Moblin also offers the promise of swift boot times an extremely innovative user interface shell, and an assortment of other components that have been fine-tuned for mobile devices.

Several prominent Linux distributors, particularly Novell and Canonical, are building Moblin derivatives or integrating Moblin technologies into their own netbook distros. Canonical has constructed a special Ubuntu remix that incorporates key parts of the Moblin stack. This hybrid will bring users the unique benefits of Moblin without having to sacrifice the compelling advantages of Ubuntu, such as the distro's enormous software package library.

Moblin is still under heavy development, but it has been deemed worthy of deployment to early adopters and is entering an early public testing stage. Dell will ship Canonical's Moblin variant on its Mini 10v. The device is available for purchase from Dell's online hardware store for $299. Dell also sells a Mini 10v with a more conventional version of Ubuntu—sans Moblin enhancements—for the same price.

Canonical CEO Mark Shuttleworth is enthusiastic about the new offering and sees it as a good opportunity for software developers who want to dive into Moblin. As one of the first devices shipped with the platform, it's definitely breaking some new ground.

"Moblin keeps on getting more exciting as a project with new applications and improved user experiences. It's great to be delivering this release with Dell to developers wanting to participate in Moblin," said Shuttleworth in a statement. "Intel and the Moblin community are bringing tremendous resource and investment into the Linux ecosystem and this product acts as a bridge to Moblin for developers."

Although Moblin has a lot of promise and is of significant interest to developers, it's not quite ready yet to be unleashed on regular consumers. Dell's online store displays a large disclaimer which says that the Moblin version is still experimental and is intended primarily for coders and Linux enthusiasts. Dell opted to make it available preinstalled on hardware in its incomplete state in response to significant demand from the Linux community.

"Dell designed the Mini 10v Ubuntu Moblin Remix Developer Edition exclusively for Linux enthusiasts, developers, and Early Adopters," the website says. "Moblin in its current state is not a completely stable and bug-free operating system. Features available in Ubuntu Moblin Remix Developer Edition are not comparable to features available in other Linux Operating system offerings."

The stern warning will likely deter some potential buyers and push them towards the model with the conventional Ubuntu installation, but it won't stop us. Unlike sane people who expect their new computers to work properly, we just can't resist the sweet whiff of half-baked software emanating from the glorious broken crack pipe of the future. We put in an order for Dell's Moblin Mini 10v and plan to put it through a thorough Ars taste test to determine if it's palatable yet. We know our readers are hungry for Moblin, so we are going to serve our review up next month.